She said later: “Psychologically, I must have been at a place where I just wanted to stop.

“I went back to San Francisco. A lot of people had the perception that I just ­disappeared in the 2000s. And I did, but only from that world.”

Woody Allen wanted her to star opposite Robert Downey Jr in 2004’s Melinda & Melinda but thanks to Winona’s legal troubles and Robert’s numerous drug arrests he could not get insurance on his leads.

Will ­Ferrell and Radha ­Mitchell were cast instead.

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2002 . . . which led to a court appearance the following year

A role in 2010’s well-received ballet flick Black Swan as troubled dancer Beth brought her back into the public eye and while promoting the film, Winona suggested she was ready to take on more mature roles.

She found love with US designer Scott Mackinlay Hahn after years with no serious boyfriend.

But it is her star turn in Stranger Things, released last month on Netflix to huge acclaim, that has won back the adulation and respect.

Playing a terrified mum who believes her son was abducted by unseen spirits, Winona could draw on her own tough times to create a powerful lead performance.

She said: “I spent two months basically crying every day. To ­sustain that all day, you have to drink a lot of water and stay in this dark place. It was exhausting.

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Winner . . . back on top in hit series Stranger Things

“It was draining but in the end, it was gratifying. I’m so sick of people shaming women for being sensitive or vulnerable. It’s so bizarre to me.

“There is a perception that I’m super-sensitive and fragile. And I am super-sensitive and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. To do what I do, I have to remain open.”

It is the comeback no one expected. But Stranger Things’ co-creators, brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, knew from an early stage they wanted Winona, with Ross saying she “has that movie-star ­presence where you just point a camera and she pops off the screen”.

Millions of fans agree — and with Stranger Things securing a ­second series, Winona is surely back for good.